Uqhesh
= Uqhesh - City of Buried Gods = “Uqhesh is a shithole of a city. But it’s our shithole.” ''-Ralik, Uqheshi water merchant''' Uqhesh is a city of outcasts built on the molted exoskeleton of a titanic insect. It began as a Rauman prison colony, but it drew more and more misfits over the centuries. Now it is a teeming metropolis, with a healthy underbelly of thieves, smugglers, and mercenaries to match. ' The government of Uqhesh is still an extension of Raum under the authority of Sword Queen Renata Moruga. The local Governance is headed by a man named Benicio Cuaron, who many refer to by his old mercenary name: el Alacran. Cuaron keeps a harsh but just grip on the populace of Uqhesh. The city guards will chop hands off of thieves, if they aren’t paid to look the other way.''' The carapace that Uqhesh is built on is a relic from a past age, when psionic insect gods ruled over an ancient human empire. Parts of the city are still affected by this history. Psionic creatures stalk the desert, and the very water supply can drive it’s drinkers mad with psychic visions if left untreated. More information about the ancient civilization of Qhamune is still being unearthed in a large scale archaeological effort called the Grand Exhumation. Raum is looking to the distant past for any advantage they can get against the rapidly militarizing north. Uqhesh as a Campaign Setting The Premise The Uqheshi script has been cracked! Sword Queen Moruga is paying good gold to those brave enough to explore the buried ruins of Qhamune! Uqhesh is a desert city in the Xeric Peninsula. Originally a Rauman prison colony, Uqhesh is a melting pot of outcasts from across Azra. The Governance keeps a tight grip on the city in the name of Sword Queen Renata Moruga, the Gladiarch of Raum. The city itself is built on and within the Carapace, a titanic exoskeleton half buried in the sand. This huge structure of translucent black chitin provides shade to a portion of the city. About six months ago, anthropologist Caskia Maevira accomplished what no mortal mind has done in 7,000 years. She successfully translated the Uqhesh Codices, walls of text carved into every surface of the carapace. The information contained therein alludes to an ancient civilization of powerful magic users called Qhamune. This discovery has launched a worldwide fervor of Qhamunology. Queen Moruga has announced that the Rauman Governance will pay gold for Qhamuni artifacts, and assistance clearing out the buried ruins. People are flocking to Uqhesh hoping to make a fortune for themselves, or to take advantage of those would-be adventurers. What are you? Are you a foreign opportunist hoping to strike it rich? A Rauman bravo bringing honor to your name? An academic hoping to uncover this ancient culture? A local street urchin with a taste for adventure? A desert wanderer in search of answers? All of these characters and more can be yours, in '''UQESH: CITY OF BURIED GODS Religion in Uqhesh Some necessary background: The current pantheon of gods won control over the world 6,804 years ago in an interplanar conflict called the Dawn War. They fought this war against the previous denizens of this reality, aberrant entities from the Far Realms called the Old Gods, or the Diluvian Gods. Humanoids still existed during the Diluvian Epoch, and lived in subservience to these Old Gods. The Dawn War ushered in what's called the 7th Age, or the Dawn Epoch. Uqhesh has two major religious factions that are actually in conflict right now. The issue stems from the fact that the newly discovered civilization that the city is investigating appears to be from the Diluvian Epoch, meaning from before the current pantheon of gods controlled the world. The religious artifacts and iconography that archaeologists are beginning to uncover appear to worship giant psionic insect gods known as the Qhamu. As a result, religious organizations from other parts of the world have come to Uqhesh and formed the Expurgatory. This is a coalition of faiths that believe that all records of worship for these buried gods should be destroyed, to deny them any strength they would gain from mortal believers. The Expurgatory would scour all Diluvian history and culture from existence in order to affirm the authority of the Dawn War pantheon. This goal is at odds with the academic community that wishes to preserve and document Qhamuni civilization for historical purposes. It is also contrary to the wishes of the Rauman Governance, which aims to explore and catalogue the Diluvian artifacts in the hopes of finding new military technology to secure an edge in a rapidly industrializing continent. On the absolute opposite side from the Expurgatory are the Neophytes. Labeled as cults and heretics by many, the Neophytes are smaller religious establishments dedicated to worshipping the Qhamu. These quiet faithful hope to gain power and insight from these ancient entities by being among the first of their new congregation. While there are certainly some Neophytes that take a particularly occult approach to this worship, the majority are simple people that see physical evidence of divinity, and find comfort in praying to something within their sight. There are, of course, people between these two diametrically opposed viewpoints. Religion is everywhere in Azra, and the Gods do not make their position on such matters clear. There are many religious people that feel it is their duty to preserve Qhamuni culture, out of respect for their fellow mortals if nothing else. Servants of Ioun, the Goddess of Knowledge, have been particularly vocal in this area. However, much of Uqhesh is being pulled to either extreme as the city becomes closer and closer to all out religious war.